Captain Obvious says:

“Act like you’ve been there before.” For most, it’s the mantra of winning with class and humility. For those that have played the game known as “BCS Standings” however, it means doing what it takes to impress voters and raise your team’s profile.

 

Urban Meyer is not only acting like he’s been there before, he’s coaching like he’s the one that came up with the phrase.

 

Since Florida’s embarrassing loss to what was then thought of as a weak Ole Miss team, they have been absolutely wearing out the competition in route to claiming the SEC East title. Their average margin of victory since that loss hovers at 39.63 points per game. Am I stating the obvious if I say that it’s especially impressive since six of those teams are bowl eligible?

 

Now, Florida must face off this Saturday against an Alabama team that is reminiscent of the 2002 Ohio State team that won it all. No one actually thought Ohio State would go undefeated, but somehow they did, even with a team that was sub par in talent compared to most teams they shared the field with.

 

However, this Alabama team Florida will face on Saturday in Atlanta is not the reincarnation of that Ohio State team that won the national championship for the 2002 season. This Alabama team has faced four teams in their last eight games that are NOT bowl eligible, including taking one LSU team into overtime. Yes, that same LSU team that Florida throttled in a 30-point victory.

 

If you look at offense, defense and special teams, then Florida clearly has the advantage in two out of the three categories. Their offense and special teams are out of this world, but that’s not to say that their defense is a sleeper. This squad is coached by the same Defensive Coordinator in Charlie Strong who can be credited with helping Florida win their championship in 2006.

 

Sure, Alabama has a stellar defense, but can you really say with a straight face that they match up well with Florida across all disciplines? Florida is much faster than Alabama on offense and plays just as physical on defense as the Crimson Tide. Led by LB Brandon Spikes, this Florida squad is very adequately prepared for Alabama’s running game, and even though Alabama’s WR Julio Jones is a talent, he’s the only true threat the Crimson Tide has in the receiving game.

 

Where is Florida most dangerous? At the position that matters the most—QB. Tim Tebow, also known as Florida’s resident Golden Child, is far superior in every aspect of his game to John Parker Wilson. Speaking of which, who even goes by three names anymore? It must be an Alabama thing. Anyway, if this were an episode of Shear Genius, then Wilson may have the advantage, but since hair styles don’t win football games, I think Tebow might have the edge here by just a strand of heavily-gelled hair…can you feel the sarcasm?

 

All in all, this Florida team is one of the most dominant teams to play since USC was wearing out the competition in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. The only way I see Florida losing this game is if Urban Meyer decides to stop coaching, or Florida decides the trip to Atlanta just isn’t worth it. If neither of those happen, then Florida will dance their way past the Crimson Tide and into the BCS championship game for the second time in three seasons.

 

Alabama 20

Florida 45

For more info: My counterpart on this issue, Darron Patterson, weighs in on why 'Bama will beat the Gators here. Go check it out and tell him why he's so dead wrong.